Die-integrated aspheric mirror

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses and systems for a die-integrated aspheric mirror are described herein. One apparatus includes an ion trap die including a number of ion locations and an aspheric mirror integrated with the ion trap die.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT RIGHTS

This invention was made with Government support under contract:W911NF-12-1-0605, awarded by the U.S. Army. The Government has certainrights in this invention.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to apparatuses and systems having adie-integrated aspheric mirror, for example, for increased collection offluorescent light.

BACKGROUND

Quantum state detection efficiency relies on the efficiency of thecollection of light fluorescence from optical systems. Fluorescent lightcollection may, for example, be implemented with bulk optics.

For instance, fluorescent light collection may involve placing a highnumerical aperture objective near a fluorescence point source (e.g., anatomic ion) and detecting emitted fluorescent light (e.g., photons)outside of a vacuum chamber, whereby the detection may be several inchesaway. Such a setup may yield a solid angle capture for emittedfluorescent light, for example, of less than 5%.

Collection of fluorescent light using bulk optics may involve carefulalignment of optical and other elements (e.g., lasers, lenses, iontraps, etc.). Without this careful alignment, much of the fluorescentlight may be lost, thereby contributing to a decrease in quantum statedetection efficiency. The use of bulk optical elements also mayadversely affect robustness (e.g., to wear, impact, etc.) of a quantuminformatics system, possibly limiting use of such systems to researchenvironments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a fluorescent light collection system inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a die-integrated aspheric mirror system in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a computing system that can be utilized in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Large planar ion trap systems with many ion zones (locations) fortrapping ions, which may be densely packed in operational arrays, mayallow for more efficient fluorescent light collection in parallel (e.g.,from many ions simultaneously). According to the present disclosure,apparatuses and systems having a die-integrated aspheric mirror caninclude an ion trap die including a number of ion locations and anaspheric mirror integrated (e.g., physically integrated) with the iontrap die for increased collection of fluorescent light.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying figures that form a part hereof. The figures show by way ofillustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed.

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits. For example, 109 may referenceelement “09” in FIG. 1, and a similar element may be referenced as 209in FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a fluorescent light collection system inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Theembodiment of the fluorescent light collection system 100 shown in FIG.1 can include at least one ion trap die 102. The ion trap die 102 can beconfigured to trap (capture) a charged atom or molecule (ion) in eachion location (potential well) that is capable of emitting fluorescentlight (one or more photons) after excitation by a light source (notshown).

In some embodiments, the light source can be a laser tuned to emit aspecific frequency range for excitation of a particular electrontransition of a particular element to emit fluorescent light in aparticular frequency and/or wavelength range. Depending upon theimplementation, the laser can be tuned to emit a frequency range narrowenough to promote emission of fluorescent light in a narrow frequencyand/or wavelength range by the particular ion.

The ion trap die 102 can be integrated with (e.g., connected to and/ormounted on) an underlying planar surface 104. In various embodiments,the underlying planar surface 104 can be a top surface of an interposerdie 110, as described herein, or an intermediate die 108.

The intermediate die 108 can, in some embodiments, be utilized toprovide structural spacing for integration of an aspheric mirror, asdescribed herein, between circuitry of the interposer die 110 and theunderlying planar surface 104 upon which the ion trap die 102 isintegrated. In some embodiments, the intermediate die 108 and theinterposer die 110 can be combined into one die.

The intermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 110 can be configuredto provide electrical leads 106 to empower various functionalitiesassociated with the ion trap die 102. The electrical leads 106 can bedirected to the ion trap die 102 and/or the various functionalitiesassociated therewith by transiting from a source (not shown) ofelectrical power and/or electronic (e.g., digital) instructions beneaththe underlying planar surface 104 upon which the ion trap die 102 isintegrated.

In some embodiments, the electrical leads 106 can each be connected by awire bond at a connection point 107 in the intermediate die 108 and/orthe interposer die 110 so as to be electrically connected to the source.The number and/or positioning of the electrical leads 106 and/orconnection points 107 are shown by way of illustration.

That is, consistent with the present disclosure, more or less electricalleads 106 and/or connection points 107 can be utilized, which can beintegrated at various positions with regard to the intermediate die 108and/or the interposer die 110. Accordingly, such configurations for theelectrical leads 106 and/or connection points 107 can enableunobstructed optical transit of light directed toward and/or emittedfrom the ion trap die 102.

Ion traps can use a combination of electrical and/or magnetic fields tocapture an ion (e.g., an ytterbium ion (Yb⁺), among other possiblepositive and/or negative ions of atomic and/or molecular species) in apotential well. However, ion traps may be space limited due toelectrical and/or electronic components (e.g., capacitors, resistors,transistors, etc.) that enable functionality of the ion trap by beingpositioned on the same die as the ion trap (being on-chip) and/oroptically limited due to electrical leads, wire bonds, etc., beingpositioned to obstruct a beam path of a light source utilized for ionexcitation and/or a potential pathway for fluorescent light emitted bythe ions.

Accordingly, to overcome such potential difficulties, a number of iontraps can be formulated in an ion trap die, for example, as shown at 102in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. The ion trap die 102 can, forexample, include integrated trench capacitors and/orthrough-silicon-vias to replace capacitors, electrical leads, and/orwire bonds, etc., otherwise possibly positioned on a surroundingsurface. The ion trap die 102 shown in FIG. 1 can be integrated with theintermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 110 using thethrough-silicon-vias.

The intermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 110 can, in variousembodiments, contain and/or direct a configuration (e.g., a fan out) ofelectrical leads 106 that transit from the ion trap die 102 to an outeredge of the intermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 110. At ornear the outer edge of the intermediate die 108 and/or the interposerdie 110, wire bonds at connection points 107 can, in variousembodiments, be used to connect the electrical leads 106 to the source(not shown) of electrical power and/or electronic (e.g., digital)instructions beneath the underlying planar surface 104 upon which theion trap die 102 is integrated. In some embodiments, such a source canbe a processor and/or controller of a processing system, as describedherein.

The just-described structure can yield a number of benefits. Forexample, the structure can provide full optical access to the ion trapdie 102 and/or the particular positions of the ion locations fabricatedtherein.

Mounting the ion trap die 102 on the planar surface 104 of theintermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 110 can be beneficial inthat it can enable removal of wire bonds of the electrical leads fromedges of the ion trap die 102 by moving the wire bonds to connectionpoints 107 to the outer edge of the intermediate die 108 and/or theinterposer die 110. The ion trap die 102 being raised above the level ofthe wire bonds and/or positioned on the planar surface 104 interior tothe wire bonds can be beneficial in that it can contribute to providingoptical access from any direction (2π) around a perimeter of the iontrap die 102 and/or the particular positions of the ion locations.

Another benefit can be integrating, for example, filter and/or trenchcapacitors onto and/or into the ion trap die 102, which can enable areduction in a size of the ion trap die (e.g., by a factor of 30 or so).Accordingly, the reduction in size for each ion trap die can result infree space (area) on the planar surface 104 of the intermediate die 108and/or the interposer die 110. Benefits of such free space can includemounting additional ion trap dies on the same area of the planar surface104, among other possible benefits of the free space.

FIG. 2 illustrates a die-integrated aspheric mirror system in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As describedherein, the die-integrated aspheric mirror system 220 illustrated inFIG. 2 can, in various embodiments, be integrated with the portion ofthe fluorescent light collection system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. Theelements shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are not necessarily representative oftheir proportion and/or their relative scale in actual fabrication andare intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure,and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

The embodiment of the die-integrated aspheric mirror system 220illustrated in FIG. 2 shows an ion trap die 202. In various embodiments,the ion trap die 202 can be fabricated to include a plurality of ionlocations 221 (potential wells). For example, the ion trap die 202 caninclude five ion locations 221, as shown in FIG. 2, although embodimentsare not so limited.

As described with regard to FIG. 1, the ion trap die 202 can beintegrated with an underlying planar surface 204, which, in someembodiments, can be a top surface of an interposer die 210. In someembodiments, interposer die can be fabricated with x and y axes (asshown at 223) in a range of from around 0.5 centimeters (cm) to around5.0 cm or more. In some embodiments, an intermediate die (shown at 108in FIG. 1) can be utilized to provide structural spacing for integrationof a number of aspheric mirrors 222, 226 between circuitry of theinterposer die 210 and the underlying planar surface 204 upon which theion trap die 202 is integrated.

In some embodiments, an ion trap die 202 can be fabricated with alongitudinal axis (in an x direction as shown at 223 in FIG. 2) in arange of from around 2.0 millimeters (mm) to around 4.0 mm or more, inparticular when the ion trap die 202 is fabricated with a plurality ofion locations 221. In some embodiments, an ion trap die 202 can befabricated with a horizontal axis (in a y direction as shown at 223) ina range of from around 0.5 mm to around 1.5 mm or more. In someembodiments, an ion trap die 202 can be fabricated with a vertical axis(in a z direction perpendicular to an x-y plane as shown at 223) in arange of from around 0.1 mm to around 0.5 mm or more.

To facilitate efficient solid angle capture and reflection offluorescent light emitted by ions in the plurality of ion locations 221,each aspheric mirror 222, 226 can have a diameter or major axis,depending on the configuration of the aspheric mirror, that is at leastas large as the longitudinal axis of the ion trap die 202, for example,as shown in FIG. 2. As such, each aspheric mirror 222, 226 can, invarious embodiments, be fabricated with a diameter or major axis (in anx direction as shown at 223 in FIG. 2) in a range of from around 2.0 mmto around 4.0 mm or more, in particular when the ion trap die 202 isfabricated with a plurality of ion locations 221.

In some embodiments, an aspheric mirror can be a glass prism with areflective surface that is sputtered with aluminum and/or gold, amongother possible reflective materials. Such an aspheric mirror may bereferred to herein as a “micromirror”.

In various embodiments, each aspheric mirror 222, 226 can be integratedinto the planar surface 204 of the intermediate die 108 and/or theinterposer die 210 such that a diameter or minor axis (in a z direction,into and/or out of the page, as shown at 223 in FIG. 2), depending onthe configuration of the aspheric mirror, is substantially perpendicularto the x-y plane of the interposer die 210 and/or the x-y plane of theion trap die 202. In various embodiments, various positions on areflective surface of an aspheric mirror 222 may be separated from anassociated ion trap die 202 by a distance of 20 mm or more.

Accordingly, a die-integrated aspheric mirror apparatus, as justdescribed, can include an ion trap die 202 including a number of ionlocations 221 and an aspheric mirror 222 integrated with the ion trapdie 202. The ion trap die 202 and the aspheric mirror 222 can, invarious embodiments, both be physically integrated with thesubstantially planar surface 204 of a substrate die (e.g., theintermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 110, 210 describedherein).

As described herein, an aspheric mirror can be formed to have variouscontours along the reflective surface so as to have a plurality of imagelocations. A location of each image location can depend upon a positionat which fluorescent light is captured by the reflective surface of theaspheric mirror 222 and/or the ion location 221 from which thefluorescent light is emitted. A direction of an image location relativeto a vertical axis (e.g., a major axis and/or a minor axis in the xand/or z directions) of the aspherical mirror 222 can define a principalaxis of the aspherical mirror 222. In embodiments in which an asphericalmirror has a plurality of image locations, the aspherical mirror alsocan have a plurality of principal axes.

Accordingly, in various embodiments, the ion trap die 202 can include alongitudinal axis, as described herein, and the aspheric mirror 222 canbe configured to be integrated with the ion trap die 202 such that aprincipal axis (e.g., at least one principal axis) of the asphericmirror 222 is substantially aligned with and/or perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the ion trap die 202. The ion trap die 202 can, invarious embodiments, include a horizontal axis, as described herein, andthe aspheric mirror 222 can be configured to be integrated with the iontrap die 202 such that a principal axis (e.g., at least one principalaxis) of the aspheric mirror 222 is substantially aligned with thehorizontal axis of the ion trap die 202.

As described herein, an aspheric mirror can be formed with anellipsoidal configuration. The ellipsoidal configuration can betri-axial by having at least three distinct semi-axes. For example, amajor axis of the ellipsoidal configuration can, in some embodiments, besubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ion trap die 202and/or a minor axis of the ellipsoidal configuration can, in someembodiments, be substantially perpendicular to the horizontal axis ofthe ion trap die 202.

As described in the present disclosure, each aspheric mirror can, invarious embodiments, be fabricated with a number of apertures formed toenable light from an outside light source to transit therethrough towardthe ion locations 221 in the ion trap die 202. For example, asphericmirror 222 is shown to have two apertures 224-1, 224-2 and asphericmirror 226 also is shown to have two apertures 228-1, 228-2, althoughembodiments are not so limited.

A combination between positioning of one or more light sources (e.g.,lasers) and positioning and/or configuration of a number of aperturescan enable one or more light beams to be directed toward (e.g., aimedat) a particular ion location (e.g., from a plurality of ion locations).For example, among other possibilities, positioning of the one or morelight sources relative to a convex side of aspheric mirror 222 incombination with the positioning and/or configuration of aperture 224-1can enable light beam 230-1 to be aimed at a middle ion location 221 inion trap die 202, as can aperture 224-2 with light beam 230-2.

In some embodiments, a second aspheric mirror 226 can be utilized toincrease the solid angle capture of emitted fluorescent light.Accordingly, for aspheric mirror 226, positioning of the one or morelight sources relative to a convex side of aspheric mirror 226 incombination with the positioning and/or configuration of aperture 228-1can enable light beam 232-1 to be aimed at the middle ion location 221in ion trap die 202, as can aperture 228-2 with light beam 232-2.

As described in the present disclosure, each aspheric mirror can havereflective positions and/or contours configured to reflect (e.g., focus)fluorescent light emitted from particular ion locations toward at leastone optical fiber. For example, aspheric mirror 222 is shown withoptical fibers 234 positioned at intended positions relative to areflective surface thereof for coupling with fluorescent light capturedand reflected by aspheric mirror 222.

Similarly, aspheric mirror 226 is shown with optical fibers 236positioned at intended positions relative to a reflective surfacethereof for coupling with fluorescent light captured and reflected byaspheric mirror 226. Although five optical fibers are illustrated asintegrated with each aspheric mirror, embodiments are not so limited.

In various embodiments, the optical fibers 234, 236 can be integratedwith the intermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 210 and extendupward into a cavity in the intermediate die 108 and/or the interposerdie 210 (not shown) between a respective aspheric mirror 222, 226 andthe ion trap die 202. Such a cavity can enable unobstructed transit oflight from the apertures 224-1, 224-2 to the ion locations 221 and/orfrom the ion locations 221 to the optical fibers 234, 236. In variousembodiments, a position on a reflective surface of an aspheric mirrormay be separated by a distance in a range of from about 0.5 to about 5mm or more from a position on an associated optical fiber toward whichthe fluorescent light is aimed.

In various embodiments, the aspheric mirrors 222, 226 can be separatedby a distance 238 that enables unobstructed optical access to the iontrap die 202 by an optical device other than light sources positioned onthe convex side of the aspheric mirrors to aim light beams incombination with the apertures thereof 224, 228. Such a distance 238can, for example, enable unobstructed optical access by a light beam 239from another light source (not shown) along the longitudinal axis of theion trap die 202 and/or enable unobstructed optical access by acharge-coupled device (CCD) camera (not shown), among otherpossibilities.

The present disclosure can enable integration of aspheric mirrors(micromirrors) on a planar surface 204 of, in various embodiments, anintermediate die 108 and/or an interposer die 210 for improvedaddressing of ions in an ion trap die (e.g., an ion trap die having aplurality of ion locations) and/or improved addressing of distinct lasercooling and/or ion operation zones. In various embodiments, ionoperations can include Raman cooling, state preparation, and/or gateoperations. For example, Yb ions can be trapped using a 369 nanometer(nm) laser that is used for Doppler cooling and/or Raman cooling.

In various embodiments, ionization of Yb atoms can be performed at alocation other than that used for laser cooling and/or ion operations.In some embodiments, repump lasers can provide a light beam axiallyalong the horizontal axis of the ion trap from a location other thanthat used for the main laser cooling transition and/or ion operations.

Integrating the aspheric micromirrors near (e.g., having a reflectivesurface as close as 20 mm away from) a position of the ion trap die canenable tighter focusing of an excitation light beam and/or individualaddressing of ion locations. Other possibilities can include multipleion traps and/or ion trap dies positioned on a planar surface of asingle interposer die and/or more intricate ion trap designs.

Integrating the optics for collection of the fluorescent light intoand/or above the substantially planar surface 204 of the underlyingintermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 210 can enable collectionof a higher percentage of the emitted fluorescent light, thus yielding alarger collection efficiency. Accordingly, the present disclosuredescribes curved (aspheric) mirrors integrated into the surface of thedie to reflect fluorescent light by blocking a major portion ofspherical space surrounding an ion that may emit fluorescent photons inrandom directions in order to increase coupling of captured andreflected fluorescent light to optical fibers.

The positioning of the ion locations and the optical fibers can be usedto determine the configuration of the optics of the aspheric mirrorssuch that the fluorescent light is directed toward (e.g., aimed at) theoptical fibers. Alternatively, the configuration of the optics of theaspheric mirrors can be used to determine the positioning of the ionlocations and the optical fibers.

In various embodiments, the optical fibers can each have a designatedportion configured to couple (e.g., by having an appropriate numericalaperture) with fluorescent light reflected from the various anglesoccupied by the aspheric mirrors. That is, an optical fiber can includea nub (not shown), for example, at an end of the optical fiber that isdistal from the interposer die.

Depending upon the preferred implementation, such a nub can be above,at, or below the planar surface 204. In some embodiments with aplurality of optical fibers 234, 236, some of the nubs for each opticalfiber can be below the planar surface 204, whereas other nubs can be atand/or above the planar surface 204.

Relative to the ion trap die, the aspheric mirrors can be integratedinto the intermediate die and/or the interposer die in an ellipsoidal(semi-elliptical) orientation with a major axis aligned with(substantially parallel to) a longitudinal axis of the ion trap die.Fluorescent light emitted from a particular ion location can bereflected by a specifically contoured position on the reflective surfaceof an aspheric mirror such that the fluorescent light can be focused toa point and coupled to, for example, a position on a single-mode ormulti-mode optical fiber placed above, at, or below the planar surface.

The collected fluorescent light can then be transmitted off-die throughthe intermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 210 for amplificationto, in some embodiments, a photomultiplier tube (PMT). Using asphericalmirrors described herein can enable focusing the fluorescent light fromdifferent ion locations along the ion trap die to separate opticalfibers. An array of such optical fibers can enable differentiationbetween fluorescent light emitted from the different ion locations.

Furthermore, fluorescent light from multiple ion locations can becoupled simultaneously when an optical fiber, or a nub thereof, isplaced at and/or within multiple image locations of the aspheric mirror.That is, an aspheric mirror can have multiple positions on itsreflective surface each contoured (e.g., etched, deposited, molded,etc.) to focus fluorescent light emitted from a particular ion location,among a plurality of ion locations, toward a particular (designated)optical fiber.

Accordingly, a die-integrated aspheric mirror system, as just described,can include an ion trap die 202 including a plurality of ion locations221 and a first aspheric mirror 222 having an ellipsoidal configuration(e.g., tri-axial) integrated with the ion trap die 202. A first lightsource (not shown) can be configured to promote emission of fluorescentlight by excitation of at least one ion trapped in the plurality of ionlocations 221.

For example, the first light source can be a laser tuned to producecoherent light at or around 369 nm to promote emission of fluorescentlight by excitation of a single Yb⁺ ion trapped in a single ion location221 of the ion trap die 202. The first light source can, in variousembodiments, be positioned distal to the first aspheric mirror 222relative to the ion trap die 202.

The system can include a first number of optical fibers 234 positioned,in various embodiments, between the first aspheric mirror 222 and theion trap die 202, where the number of optical fibers 234 can beconfigured, as described herein, to collect fluorescent light reflectedby the first aspheric mirror 222 that was emitted from the plurality ofion locations 221. For example, the optical fibers 234 can be configuredto collect the fluorescent light by the optical fibers having anappropriate numerical aperture given the configuration and/orpositioning of the ion locations, the aspherical mirror, and/or theoptical fibers.

The system can, in various embodiments, include a number of apertures224-1, 224-2 in the first aspheric mirror 222. The first light sourceand the number of apertures 224-1, 224-2 can be configured to aim lightto promote emission of fluorescent light from a particular ion location221 of the plurality of ion locations. The number of apertures, thepositioning, size, and/or shape of each of the apertures, and/or whetherparticular apertures include a lens can be determined based uponpositioning of the first light source relative to the first asphericmirror 222 and/or the number of apertures 224-1, 224-2 formedtherethrough, in addition to the number of, distance to, and/orpositioning of the plurality of ion locations 221.

The first light source can, in some embodiments, be a first lasermovably positioned relative to the number of apertures 224-1, 224-2 onthe distal side of the first aspheric mirror 222 relative to the iontrap die 202 in order to aim a light beam at a particular ion location221. In some embodiments, the first light source can be mirrors, lenses,etc., that are associated with the first laser and that can be movablypositioned relative to the number of apertures 224-1, 224-2 on thedistal side of the first aspheric mirror 222 in order to aim a lightbeam at a particular ion location 221.

As described herein, the first aspheric mirror 222 can, in variousembodiments, be configured with a number of image locations between thefirst aspheric mirror 222 and the ion trap die 202. As such, the firstaspheric mirror 222 can be configured to focus fluorescent light emittedfrom the particular ion location 221 toward at least one designatedoptical fiber 234.

In some embodiments, a nub (not shown) can be formed on the at least onedesignated optical fiber 234 toward which the fluorescent light isfocused. The nub can, in various embodiments, be configured to collectthe fluorescent light reflected at various angles by the first asphericmirror 222 by having a numerical aperture corresponding to the variousangles to enable coupling with the reflected fluorescent light.

The system can, in various embodiments, include the ion trap die 202,the first aspheric mirror 222, and the first number of optical fibers234 all being physically integrated with a substantially planar surface204 of the underlying intermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die210. In some embodiments, a longitudinal axis and a horizontal axis ofthe ion trap die 202 form a plane that can be substantially parallelwith the substantially planar surface 204 of the underlying intermediatedie 108 and/or the interposer die 210. Longitudinal axes of the firstnumber of optical fibers 234 can, in some embodiments, be perpendicularto the substantially planar surface 204 of the underlying intermediatedie 108 and/or the interposer die 210.

The first aspheric mirror 222 can, in various embodiments, be embeddedinto the substantially planar surface 204 of the underlying intermediatedie 108 and/or the interposer die 210 along an axis of the firstaspheric mirror 222 that can be substantially perpendicular to aprincipal axis of the first aspheric mirror 222. Accordingly, the iontrap die 202, the first aspheric mirror 222, the number of apertures224-1, 224-2 in the first aspheric mirror 222, the first number ofoptical fibers 234, and/or the substantially planar surface 204 of theunderlying intermediate die 108 and/or the interposer die 210 can, invarious embodiments, be configured to enable unobstructed optical accessto the plurality of ion locations 221 by light from the first lightsource.

The system can, in some embodiments, include a second aspheric mirror226 having an ellipsoidal configuration integrated with the ion trap die202. The second aspheric mirror 226 can be positioned on an oppositeside of the ion trap die 202 relative to the first aspheric mirror 222.

In some embodiments, the system can include a second light source (notshown) configured to promote emission of fluorescent light by excitationof at least one ion trapped in the plurality of ion locations 221. Thesecond light source can, in some embodiments, be a second laser movablypositioned relative to the number of apertures 228-1, 228-2 on thedistal side of the second aspheric mirror 226 relative to the ion trapdie 202 in order to aim a light beam at a particular ion location 221.In some embodiments, the second light source can be mirrors and/orlenses, etc., that are associated with the first laser and/or the secondlaser and that can be movably positioned relative to the number ofapertures 228-1, 228-2 on the distal side of the second aspheric mirror226 in order to aim a light beam at a particular ion location 221through the number of apertures 228-1, 228-2 of the second asphericmirror 226.

The second light source can, in some embodiments, be tuned to produceresonant light at a particular frequency and/or wavelength to promoteemission of fluorescent light by excitation of a single type of iontrapped in a single ion location 221 of the ion trap die 202. In someembodiments, the particular frequency and/or wavelength can be the sameas or different from that of the first light source and/or the singletype of ion can be the same as or different from that excited by thefirst light source.

The system can, in some embodiments, include a second number of opticalfibers 236 positioned between the second aspheric mirror 226 and the iontrap die 202. The second number of optical fibers 236 can be configured,in various embodiments, to collect fluorescent light reflected by thesecond aspheric mirror 226 that was emitted from the plurality of ionlocations 221.

The first aspheric mirror 222 and the second aspheric mirror 226 caneach have a major axis positioned substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the ion trap die 202. The first aspheric mirror 222and second aspheric mirror 226 can have opposing reflective surfaces.The first aspheric mirror 222 can have a first circumference and thesecond aspheric mirror 226 can have a second circumference, where thefirst and second circumferences can be the same or different.

The first circumference can, in various embodiments, have at least anarc thereof that is separated by a distance 238 from an opposing arc ofthe second circumference. In some embodiments, an entire circumferenceof the first aspheric mirror 222 can be separated from an entirecircumference of the second aspheric mirror 226. The circumferences ofthe first aspheric mirror 222 and the second aspheric mirror 226 can beuniformly separated by the same distance 238 along the circumferences orthe separation distance can vary at various points along thecircumferences.

The distance 238 by which the first circumference and the secondcircumference are separated can enable unobstructed optical access tothe ion trap die 202 by at least one of a CCD camera and/or a thirdlight source. In various embodiments, the third light source can beconfigured to, along the longitudinal axis of the ion trap die 202,promote emission of fluorescent light by excitation of at least one iontrapped in the plurality of ion locations 221 and/or promote lasercooling of the at least one ion trapped in the plurality of ionlocations 221, among other potential functions.

The aspheric mirrors and/or optical fibers described herein are suitablefor implementation and/or integration into various ion traparchitectures. Such attributes can contribute toward scalability tolarge arrays of ion traps by putting aspheric mirrors around eachrelevant zone, for example, to enable larger quantum informaticssystems.

A system that utilizes die-integrated aspheric mirrors, as describedherein, can yield a greater solid angle capture for fluorescent light,while not impeding an ability to address a particular ion location withexcitation light sources (lasers) nor obstructing observation of the ionitself (e.g., with a CCD camera positioned to focus in a separationbetween two aspheric mirrors). In various embodiments, opticalinstruments (e.g., lasers, CCD cameras, etc.) can be placed insideand/or outside of a vacuum chamber (e.g., at around 10⁻⁸ pascals)enclosing a number of ion trap dies, aspheric mirrors, optical fibers,etc., as described herein.

Using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based techniques, structurescan be etched into the fluorescent light collection system, or a diethat is part of the system, that can enable the optical elements to beclosely aligned by meeting strict tolerances of the MEMS. With theoptical elements closely aligned and held securely in place via theMEMS-based structures being formed from and/or integrated with anassociated die, the structure may be more robust to wear, impact, etc.,than when, for instance, using bulk optics.

FIG. 3 illustrates a computing system 350 that can be utilized inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Forinstance, in various embodiments, the computing system 350 and/or otherdevice having computing functionality can perform some or all of thefunctions described in the present disclosure.

For example, a computing device 351 (i.e., a device having computingfunctionality, as described herein) can include a computer-readablemedium (CRM), integrated with and/or connected to a memory 354, incommunication with a processing resource that includes one or moreprocessors 352, which can function automatically and/or can be used by auser via a user interface 360 to accomplish a multitude of functions byexecuting computing device-readable instructions. The CRM can be incommunication with a device that includes the processing resources. Thedevice can be in communication with a tangible non-transitory CRMstoring a set of computer-readable instructions (CRI) 356 executable byone or more of the processors 352, as described herein.

Data 358 can be stored in the CRM and/or the memory 354 and can be usedby CRI 356 to accomplish computing tasks. In the embodiment of FIG. 3,the CRI 356 can be used to process data via fluorescent light (photons)input through a plurality of connected optical fibers 368. In someembodiments, the plurality of optical fibers 368 can be connected to thecomputing system 350 directly or indirectly via the interposer dieand/or PMTs described herein.

The computing system 350 also can be connected to a number of lightsources (e.g., lasers) 362 that, as described herein, can be utilizedfor ion operations and/or Doppler cooling, among other functionsdescribed herein or otherwise. The light sources 362 can, in variousembodiments, be controlled via logic and/or executable CRI 356 executedby one or more processors 352.

In various embodiments, a light source 362 can be actuated to illuminatea particular location of an ion trap 366 a number of times (e.g., 2, 10,25, etc.) during (e.g., within or separated by) a pre-determined timingsequence (e.g., 50 nanoseconds, 20 milliseconds, 1 minute, etc.). Thesecharacteristics and others can be determined automatically and/or set bya user, in various embodiments.

Example characteristics can include: positioning of the light source,positioning of mirrors, lenses, etc., associated with the light source,number of light source illuminations (pulses), frequency and/orwavelength of light (photons) emitted by the light source, timingsequence and/or duration, brightness of the illumination, among othercharacteristics. Such characteristics can be utilized in combinationwith configuration and/or positioning of a number of aspherical mirrors364 to contribute to determination by the computing system 350 of, forexample, a particular ion location from which the fluorescent light wasemitted, as described herein.

Data collected by the computing system 350 can be stored in the memory354 and can be utilized for execution of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, such data can be included in and/orcompared to look-up tables (LUTs). The CRI 356 can be used for access ofand/or storage in the LUTs and/or can utilize the LUTs for execution ofthe embodiments of the present disclosure.

The CRI 356 may be stored in remote memory managed by a server andrepresent an installation package that can be downloaded, installed,and/or executed. The computing system 350 and/or the computing device351 can include additional memory resources, and processors 352 of theprocessing resources can be coupled to the additional memory resources.

Processors 352 can execute CRI that can be stored on an internal and/oran external non-transitory CRM. Processors 352 can execute CRI toperform various functions. For example, the processing resources canexecute CRI to perform a number of functions.

A non-transitory CRM, as used herein, can include volatile and/ornon-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include memory that dependsupon power to store information, such as various types of dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), among others.

Non-volatile memory can include memory that does not depend upon powerto store information. Examples of non-volatile memory can include solidstate media such as flash memory, electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), phase change random access memory (PCRAM),magnetic memory such as a hard disk, tape drives, floppy disk, and/ortape memory, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVD), Blu-ray discs(BD), compact discs (CD), and/or a solid state drive (SSD), etc., aswell as other types of computer-readable media.

The non-transitory CRM can also include distributed storage media. Forexample, the CRM can be distributed among various locations. Thenon-transitory CRM can be integral, or communicatively coupled, to acomputing device, in a wired and/or a wireless manner. For example, thenon-transitory CRM can be an internal memory, a portable memory, aportable disk, and/or a memory associated with another computingresource (e.g., enabling CRIs to be transferred and/or executed across anetwork such as the Internet).

The CRM can be in communication with the processing resources via acommunication path. The communication path can be local or remote to amachine (e.g., a computer) associated with the processing resources.

Examples of a local communication path can include an electronic businternal to a machine (e.g., a computer) where the CRM is one ofvolatile, non-volatile, fixed, and/or removable storage medium incommunication with the processing resources via the electronic bus.Examples of such electronic buses can include Industry StandardArchitecture (ISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), AdvancedTechnology Attachment (ATA), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI),Universal Serial Bus (USB), among other types of electronic buses andvariants thereof.

The communication path can be such that the CRM is remote from theprocessing resources such as in a network relationship between the CRMand the processing resources. That is, the communication path can be anetwork relationship. Examples of such a network relationship caninclude a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), personalarea network (PAN), and/or the Internet, among others. In such examples,the CRM can be associated with a first computing device and theprocessing resources can be associated with a second computing device.

Accordingly, a die-integrated aspheric mirror system, as described inthe present disclosure, can be implemented in combination with acomputing system, as just described. Such a combination can, in variousembodiments, include an ion trap die, a first aspheric mirror integratedwith the ion trap die, a light source configured to promote emission offluorescent light by aimed excitation of a plurality of ions eachtrapped in one of a plurality of ion locations, and/or a first pluralityof optical fibers positioned between the first aspheric mirror and theion trap die to collect fluorescent light.

Such a combination also can, in various embodiments, include a processorand memory having executable instructions to be executed by theprocessor. The instructions can, in some embodiments, be executed todetermine a particular ion location from which the fluorescent light wasemitted by each of the first plurality of optical fibers beingpositioned to collect fluorescent light focused thereon by the firstaspheric mirror. Such a system can, in some embodiments, be implementedfor quantum informatics processing.

In various embodiments, to determine the particular ion location caninclude a focus of the fluorescent light on a particular optical fiberdetermined by an appropriate (e.g., predetermined) combination of aconfiguration of a reflective surface of the first aspheric mirror andangular orientations to the reflective surface of a position of theparticular optical fiber and a position of the particular ion location.

The system can, in various embodiments, include a plurality of aperturesin the first aspheric mirror. The light source and the plurality ofapertures can be configured to simultaneously aim light to promotesubstantially simultaneous emission of fluorescent light from theplurality of ion locations. The memory of the computing system canfurther include executable instructions to be executed by the processorto determine the particular ion locations from which the fluorescentlight was substantially simultaneously emitted.

The system can, in various embodiments, include a second aspheric mirrorand a second plurality of optical fibers integrated on an opposite sideof the ion trap die relative to the first aspheric mirror. Such aconfiguration can be utilized to increase a solid angle capture of thefluorescent light in order to improve determination of the particularion location from which the fluorescent light was emitted.

As used herein, “logic” is an alternative or additional processingresource to execute the actions and/or functions, etc., describedherein, which includes hardware (e.g., various forms of transistorlogic, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), asopposed to computer executable instructions (e.g., software, firmware,etc.) stored in memory and executable by a processor, such as amicroprocessor.

The embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those ofordinary skill in the art to practice one or more embodiments of thisdisclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized and that process, electrical, and/or structural changes may bemade without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. It isalso to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intendedto be limiting.

As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments hereincan be added, exchanged, combined, and/or eliminated so as to provide anumber of additional embodiments of the present disclosure. Theproportion and/or the relative scale of the elements provided in thefigures are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include singularand plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, asdo “a number of”, “at least one”, and “one or more”. For example, “anumber of ion locations” can refer to one or more ion locations.Furthermore, the words “can” and “may” are used throughout thisapplication in a permissive sense (i.e., having the potential to, beingable to), not in a mandatory sense (i.e., must).

The term “include”, and derivations thereof, mean “including, but notlimited to.” The term “integrated”, and derivations thereof, mean two ormore physical entities directly connected to each other or mutuallyconnected via another physical entity.

The term “die” is used herein to mean a block of semiconducting material(e.g., electronic-grade silicon and/or another semiconductor) on whichand/or in which a particular functionality (e.g., circuitry) can befabricated. The terms “coupled” and “coupling” mean to be directly orindirectly connected in light (e.g., photon) uptake or transmission(e.g., an optical fiber having a numerical aperture appropriate foruptake of light). The term “wire bond” is used for convenience hereinand is inclusive of various techniques of connecting electrical leads,which can include thermosonic wire bonding, for making interconnectionsbetween electrical leads and an integrated circuit or othersemiconductor device and its packaging during fabrication.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anarrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations and/or variations of various embodiments of thedisclosure.

It is to be understood that the above description has been made in anillustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of theabove embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically describedherein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing theabove description.

The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes anyother applications in which the above structures and methods are used.In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure.

This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the embodiments of the disclosure require more featuresthan are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullrange of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed:
 1. A die-integrated aspheric mirror apparatus,comprising: an ion trap die comprising a number of ion locations; and anaspheric mirror integrated with the ion trap die.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the ion trap die comprises a longitudinal axis andwherein the aspheric mirror is configured to be integrated with the iontrap die such that a principal axis of the aspheric mirror issubstantially aligned with and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe ion trap die.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ion trap diecomprises a horizontal axis and wherein the aspheric mirror isconfigured to be integrated with the ion trap die such that a principalaxis of the aspheric mirror is substantially aligned with the horizontalaxis of the ion trap die.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theaspheric mirror is formed with an ellipsoidal configuration.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4, wherein: a major axis of the ellipsoidalconfiguration is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of theion trap die; and a minor axis of the ellipsoidal configuration issubstantially perpendicular to a horizontal axis of the ion trap die. 6.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ion trap die and the asphericmirror are both physically integrated with a substantially planarsurface of a substrate die.
 7. A die-integrated aspheric mirror system,comprising: an ion trap die comprising a plurality of ion locations; afirst aspheric mirror having an ellipsoidal configuration integratedwith the ion trap die; a first light source configured to promoteemission of fluorescent light by excitation of at least one ion trappedin the plurality of ion locations, wherein the first light source ispositioned distal to the first aspheric mirror relative to the ion trapdie; and a first number of optical fibers positioned between the firstaspheric mirror and the ion trap die, wherein the number of opticalfibers is configured to collect fluorescent light reflected by the firstaspheric mirror that was emitted from the plurality of ion locations. 8.The system of claim 7, further comprising a number of apertures in thefirst aspheric mirror, wherein the first light source and the number ofapertures are configured to aim light to promote emission of fluorescentlight from a particular ion location of the plurality of ion locations.9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first aspheric mirror isconfigured with a number of image locations between the first asphericmirror and the ion trap die.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein thefirst aspheric mirror is configured to focus fluorescent light emittedfrom the particular ion location toward at least one designated opticalfiber.
 11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a nub on the atleast one designated optical fiber toward which the fluorescent light isfocused, wherein the nub is configured to collect the fluorescent lightreflected at various angles by the first aspheric mirror by having anumerical aperture corresponding to the various angles to enablecoupling with the reflected fluorescent light.
 12. The system of claim7, further comprising: the ion trap die, the first aspheric mirror, andthe first number of optical fibers all being physically integrated witha substantially planar surface of an underlying interposer die; whereina longitudinal axis and a horizontal axis of the ion trap die form aplane that is substantially parallel with the substantially planarsurface of the underlying interposer die; wherein longitudinal axes ofthe first number of optical fibers are perpendicular to thesubstantially planar surface of the underlying interposer die; whereinthe first aspheric mirror is embedded into the substantially planarsurface of the underlying interposer die along an axis substantiallyperpendicular to a principal axis of the first aspheric mirror; andwherein the ion trap die, the first aspheric mirror, the number ofapertures in the first aspheric mirror, the first number of opticalfibers, and the substantially planar surface of the underlyinginterposer die are configured to enable unobstructed optical access tothe plurality of ion locations by light from the first light source. 13.The system of claim 7, further comprising: a second aspheric mirrorhaving an ellipsoidal configuration integrated with the ion trap die,wherein the second aspheric mirror is on an opposite side of the iontrap die relative to the first aspheric mirror; a second light sourceconfigured to promote emission of fluorescent light by excitation of atleast one ion trapped in the plurality of ion locations; and a secondnumber of optical fibers positioned between the second aspheric mirrorand the ion trap die, wherein the second number of optical fibers isconfigured to collect fluorescent light reflected by the second asphericmirror that was emitted from the plurality of ion locations.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein: the first aspheric mirror and the secondaspheric mirror each have a major axis positioned substantially parallelto a longitudinal axis of the ion trap die, wherein the first asphericmirror and second aspheric mirror have opposing reflective surfaces; andthe first aspheric mirror has a first circumference and the secondaspheric mirror has a second circumference, wherein the firstcircumference has at least an arc thereof that is separated by adistance from an opposing arc of the second circumference.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the distance by which the firstcircumference and the second circumference are separated enablesunobstructed optical access to the ion trap die by at least one of acharge-coupled device camera and a third light source.
 16. Adie-integrated aspheric mirror system, comprising: an ion trap die; afirst aspheric mirror integrated with the ion trap die; a light sourceconfigured to promote emission of fluorescent light by aimed excitationof a plurality of ions each trapped in one of a plurality of ionlocations; a first plurality of optical fibers positioned between thefirst aspheric mirror and the ion trap die to collect fluorescent light;a processor; and memory having executable instructions to be executed bythe processor to: determine a particular ion location from which thefluorescent light was emitted by each of the first plurality of opticalfibers being positioned to collect fluorescent light focused thereon bythe first aspheric mirror.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein todetermine the particular ion location comprises a focus of thefluorescent light on a particular optical fiber determined by anappropriate combination of a configuration of a reflective surface ofthe first aspheric mirror and angular orientations to the reflectivesurface of a position of the particular optical fiber and a position ofthe particular ion location.
 18. The system of claim 16, furthercomprising: a plurality of apertures in the first aspheric mirror,wherein the light source and the plurality of apertures are configuredto simultaneously aim light to promote substantially simultaneousemission of fluorescent light from the plurality of ion locations:wherein the memory further includes executable instructions to beexecuted by the processor to determine the particular ion locations fromwhich the fluorescent light was substantially simultaneously emitted.19. The system of claim 16, further comprising: a second aspheric mirrorand a second plurality of optical fibers integrated on an opposite sideof the ion trap die relative to the first aspheric mirror to increase asolid angle capture of the fluorescent light in order to improvedetermination of the particular ion location from which the fluorescentlight was emitted.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein the system isimplemented for quantum informatics processing.